In “Antarctica has warmed before” the author states, “Scientists drilling deep into Antarctica have uncovered evidence of a once-warm land, including pollen and algae, buried below the sea floor” (Easton, 2008, para. 1). This may not sound good, because it means that the earth has a problem. In “Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration underscores a Warming World,” the author claims, “satellite imagery from the national Snow and ice data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder reveals that a 13,680 square kilometer (5,282 square mile) ice shelf has begun to collapse because of rapid climate change in a fast-warming region of Antarctica” (2008, para. 1). South Pole’s ice shelf has been breaking down because of climate change. Recently, ice shelf collapses’ speed has rapidly gotten faster throughout the decade. If this problem keeps going through, even as people try to solve this problem, at that time it might be too late. The main reason for the South Pole ice shelf collapses is climate change, and the cause of climate change is global warming; both climate change and global warming have a connection that makes the earth environment bad. The earth is our living area, so humans should protect the earth from global warming. If humans try small activities at home to save the earth, the earth will no longer be hotter and hotter.
In “Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration Underscores a Warming World,” the author states “the Wilkins Ice Shelf is a broad plate of permanent floating ice on the southwest Antarctic Peninsula, about 1,000 miles south of South America. In the past 50 years, the western Antarctic Peninsula has experienced the biggest temperature increase on Earth, rising by 0.5 degree Celsius (0.9 degree Fahrenheit) per decade” (2008, para. 4). The Wilkins ice shelf is different from the other ice because it is more gradually thickened than the others, so if shelves break down, it affects rising global sea levels How do shelves come to melt? According to Easton (2008), ice break down will bad because catastrophic climate change might be going badly. The climate change is due to global warming. In Wikipedia encyclopedia, they had define about global warming, “Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century, and its projected continuation” (n.d.). Actually, Antarctica is the coldest area in the world, but now the ice is melting; it could be affected by earth’s environment and humans. Now, humans faced with global warming. Henzell (2006) writes that global warming is caused by human activities. People have to protect the earth; instead now they have made it much worse than before. Most governments and global associations are focused on this problem and are trying to solve it. But it is hard to care about all problems for them; that is why people should figure out how to save the earth from global warming.
First of all, people should use renewable resources more than nonrenewable resources. This opinion is very important because renewable resources give us opportunities for saving the earth’s environment. Humans knew about those fossil fuels which are oil, gas, and coal, those are very useful and expensive resources. But they cause bad smoke to flow into the atmosphere. They gives bad influence to the ozone hole. It can increase greenhouse gas emission. In “S. Korea to reduce gas emission,” the author states that “The measures are designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to increase environment-friendly alternative energy.” (Yoon, 2007, para. 4). South Koreans are trying to solve global warming, so they have chosen specific ways to reduce fossil fuels and use nonrenewable resources, such as solar, wind and water energy. This should be a better way to save the earth from global warming because there are advantages; for example renewable resources don’t cause any kinds of pollution, because those don’t need any strict production systems for use in human life, and generally, people don’t need to worry about resource exhaustion.
Second, people have to take care of the earth’s natural resources. In “World Environment Day 2007,” the author states “The estimates were that the Greenland Ice sheet would take 3000 years to disappear, with half going in the first 1000 years, and resulting in a 7m sea-level rise. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which helps feed the Ross Ice Shelf, is seen as less vulnerable, but its melting could already be inevitable, which would contribute an estimated 6m to sea levels” (Henzell, 2007, para. 3). Ice melting is not only Antarctica’s problem but also Greenland has the same situation as Antarctica does. Now, both north and south hemispheres have the same problem; it will have double the sea level rise as the rest of the ocean. Also this article mentions that “we now know that ice sheets are home to 90 per cent of the world’s fresh water and, if they melted, sea levels would rise by nearly 70m” (Henzell, 2007, para. 2). Ice sheets provide something for people to live well, and are also a kind of helpful nature. Nature is based on the earth’s environment; it is one of the important basic resources. It helps people eat and live. Although it is helpful material to us, nature has been gradually destroyed by human’s hand. For example, forests give us many kinds of supplies, such as wood and fresh air, and people should prevent ocean pollution because global warming can easily destroy the ocean.
Third, people have to reduce greenhouse gas emission. In “Environment: Problems and Solutions,” the author states “Greenhouse effect. If there were no greenhouse gases, especially water vapor, the earth would be a cold and lifeless planet with an average surface temperature of -18℃(0℉) instead of its current 15℃ (59℉)” (Miller, 1994, p. 107). This article mentions that suitable greenhouse gas is needed in the earth’s ecosystem. If the atmosphere has too much greenhouse gas, the earth gets hotter, but a smaller amount of greenhouse gas will produce a colder earth. Generally, greenhouse gas is an essential resource. Kang (2007) claims, “Meteorological experts have warned of a possible global disaster in the next 50 years unless greenhouse gas is reduced to the level of 1990. Rising sea level and climate change, nonetheless, are believed to continue even after cutbacks on emissions of greenhouse gases” (para. 1). Although greenhouse gas is necessary, the amount of greenhouse gas emission causes of global warming. In addition global warming is main cause of climate change. If each house changes an electric-light bulb to a glow lamp, that should reduce greenhouse gas emission by 68Kg per year, and using public transportation might save the air pollution. Those actions should be helpful to save the earth from the global warming.
Opponents people who have an idea for the benefit of global warming, claim that global warming has given us an economic advantage. In “Global warming has economic, health benefits too, says Redwood,” the author states, “‘we will benefit from the better weather for tourism, agriculture and outdoor sports. Fewer people will die of the cold and from snow and ice in the winter.’ But he said that he was ‘sceptical’ about the scientific theory of global warming, but acknowledged that the world’s climate did appear to be getting hotter.” (2007, para. 2-3). This is kind of silly because global warming is not a support for business. It is a real problem, and humans are directly faced with global warming. Also this article says, “we do need to increase the water supply in the drier south of the UK and make sure we have enough water stored in case we have longer drier periods” (2007, para. 5). If this water supply market place gets bigger, it might give the earth a big problem. People should protect the earth from global warming. If the earth gets hotter and hotter, this business market will grow; it means nobody can live on earth anymore.
In conclusion, global warming is no longer just an environment problem, but is the biggest problem for humans; if people don’t solve this problem, humans can’t live on earth. Those solutions are very familiar ways, because everyone knows well about those problems. Those are definitely basic and serious problems. The earth is in human’s own hands; also there is nothing more important than the earth. The points of these facts are that we can just do small things, which we can do. It is first step to save the earth. Don’t try to solve a big problem, only focus on what you can. It is the best way to save the earth. The earth is not a supplier; it is our life and settlement, so people should protect the earth by themselves. This is human’s job and responsibility.
References
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Henzell, J. (2007, June 5). World Environment Day 2007. The Press Christchurch New Zealand. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from LexisNexis.
Kang, M. (2007, May 31). Sea: A solution to climate change. The Korea Herald. Retrieved June 12, 2008, from LexisNexis.
Miller, Jr., G.T. (1994) Environment: Problems and solutions. Belment, CA: Wadswoth Publishing Company.
Yoon, W. (2007, December 17). S. Korea to Reduce Gas Emission. Korea Times,. Retrieved June 12, 2008, from LexisNexis.
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